


Hereditary Hunger

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cannibalism, Disturbing jewelry, Gen, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Langst, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Original Character Death(s), Shapeshifting, Wendigo Lance (Voltron), keeping secrets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2018-12-04 19:07:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11561463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Hey, did you hear about the McClains?" A hushed voice comes from the right hand corner of a crowded banquet hall, a group of women stands together."You mean the Turned with that beastly wife and mix breed brood?" One of them asks, her long scaled tail beautifully decorated with gold jewelry."Yeah, apparently one of the older children was at a mortal school and disappeared" The whispering woman shares, her leaf shaped wings fluttering excitedly"Bet it was hunters""Hush! They may not be pure blooded; but their numbers are strong" A pale woman cuts in, her sharp fangs bared.





	1. Prologue: Night on the town

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So this is going to be my first fic on here. I'll update the rating and add tags and things come up. I kind of have an idea where this is going so this should be fun.

There’s a dog barking in the distance as Kyle stumbles down the street, incoherent slurred words making their way from his mouth. He has a passing thought that maybe he shouldn’t have mixed his vices; heroin never went well with alcohol for him. It’s late but he is vaguely aware of a few homeless people lounging on the other side of the street. Home, he stops momentarily.

“Where do I live again”

 

“You need some help dude?” a male voice comes from behind him.

Startled Kyle whirls around, losing his balance he starts to topple over; squeezing his eyes shut he waits for impact with the pavement. A hand lands heavily on his shoulder stopping his momentum. Slowly he looks up into the face of a tall young man, Kyle gets distracted by the strangers eyes; a brilliant blue that almost seems to glow. The youths expression is twisted in concern, he looks around before focusing back on Kyle.

 

“You need some help?” He repeats, taking extra care to enunciate each word

 

“I.. well I need to go home...I don’t know where I live” Kyle slurs out trying to focus on the strangers face 

 

“Well I don’t know about getting you home but I have a place you could crash at” The youth offers a kind smile growing on his face, his voice almost seems to change; a soothing tune to it.

 

“What dude really…. Oh that’d be pretty dope of you, thanks” He drunkenly grins 

 

“Sweet then let’s get going” Kyle gets ushered down the road. Turning into an alley  _ ‘A shortcut? _ ’

 

“Oh! I’m Kyle”

 

“Name’s Lance”

 

The newly named Lance turns around, his arm moving up at an alarming speed; everything goes black.

 

-

 

A door opens and shuts quietly, Hunk rolls over.

 

“Lance you really need to stop sneaking out to town to try and pick up girls” He groans out.

 

“Hey! I’ll have you know I don’t just sneak out for girls, I had a really good dinner tonight” Lance exclaims, he hangs a backpack next to the desk, a slight clattering sound emitting from it. Making his way over to the bunk bed; he climbs on top.

 

“Not so loud; it’s late dude, just try to get some sleep we have that simulator tomorrow” rolling over again Hunk quickly goes back to sleep. 


	2. Beginnings and Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beware, a deadly foe is near.

_ The forest around them is quiet, a thick fog blocking the view of their surroundings. The sweet scent of ozone invading the nose, it’s going to rain soon; probably a lot. A hulking skeletal creature walks silently between the trees, in one long clawed arm it carries a large balding man. It moves swiftly apparently unhindered by his limp heavy weight. Up on the creatures shoulders sits a rumpled sleepy toddler, a childs innocence made sinister with the blood drying on the lower half of his face. _

_ “Mama, I’m tired” _

 

“Earth to Lance! It’s almost our turn why are you so spaced out?” Hunk lightly bumps his shoulder quickly gaining his friends attention.

 

“Huh? Oh! Yeah sorry, I was just thinking about a necklace I want to make my Mama. But you've got my attention now! We're gonna rock the simulator” a overly wide grin paints its way across the pilots face.

 

“We're going to crash again” Pidges blunt input with accompanying deadpan expression causes Lances smile to turn into a dramatic pout. 

 

“Let's just get this over with”

 

-

 

“I hope I don't need to remind you that the only reason you're here is that the best pilot in your class had a discipline issue and flunked out. Don't follow in his footsteps. Next!” 

 

-

 

A deep rumbling growl goes unnoticed as Lance stalks to his room Hunk trailing along behind him. Once in the dorm room they quickly change out of their uniforms, Lance grabs his backpack before heading out the door.

 

“We shouldn't be doing this.”

 

“You heard Commander Iverson. We need to bond as a team. We're going to grab Pidge, hit the town, loosen up, maybe I'll find something to eat”   
  
“Okay, I'm-I’m just, I’m just saying this here, right now, on the record: This is a bad idea.”   
  
“You know, for someone in a space exploration program, you don't have much of a sense of adventure.”   
  
“All of your little “adventures” end up with me in the principal's office. Oh, man. Also I could just make you something if you're hungry”

 

“No dude you know I only eat s-”

 

“Secret family recipes, yeah I know”

 

-

 

Sneaking up on Pidge really is too easy is the thought that goes through Lances head as he reaches for their headphones. 

 

“You come here to rock out?”

 

A heartbeat goes into overdrive a startled fear  _ prey  _ scent wafting into the air before calming down “Oh, Lance, Hunk. No, um, just looking at the stars.”

 

_ Lie.  _ Looking at the tech surrounding the youngest teammate he raises a singular eyebrow “Man where'd you get this stuff? It doesn't look like Garrison tech.”

 

“I built it.”    
  
Hunk perks up eyes zeroing in on the tech with keen interest “You built all of this?”    
  
The engineer reaches out only to be slapped away by a much smaller hand“Ah - stop it! With this thing, I can scan all the way to the edge of the solar system.”   
  
_ Ah. _ “That right? All the way to Kerberos?”   
  
Pidge lets out a groan   
  
“You go ballistic every time the instructors bring it up. What's your deal?” Lance watches with amusement as Hunk once again reaches for the tech.   
  
“Second warning, Hunk!”   
  
“Look, Pidge, if we're going to bond as a team, we can't have any secrets.” Lance coaxes his voice carries oddly at the end.  _ Tell me. Don't lie. _   
  
Pidge pauses for a second before answering“Fine. The world as you know it is about to change. The Kerberos Mission wasn't lost because of some malfunction or crew mistake. Stop touching my equipment!”   
  
Hunk flops over in melodramatic defeat   
  
“So, I've been scanning the system and picking up alien radio chatter.”   
  
“Whoa. What? Aliens?”   
  
“Okay. So, you're insane. Got it.”  _ please be wrong. _   
  
Pidge holds up a notebook with a crudely drawn robot “I'm serious. They keep repeating one word, "Voltron." And tonight, it's going crazier than I have ever heard it.”   
  
“How crazy?”

 

Lance flinches violently when a sudden loud alarm starts.   
  
Iversons voice comes through a loudspeaker “Attention, students. This is not a drill. We are on lockdown! Security situation Zulu Niner. Repeat: all students are to remain in barracks until further notice.”   
  
Hunks fear scent rises“What's going on? Is that a meteor? A very, very big meteor?”

 

Looking up sharply Lance could see a bright fiery object falling at a rapid pace   
  
Pidge with binoculars in hand says in shock “It's a ship.”   
  
Quickly grabbing them out of Pidges hands he looks for himself“Holy crow! I can't believe what I'm seeing! That's not one of ours.”

 

“No. It's one of theirs.”   
  
Confused, Hunk asks “So, wait. There really are aliens out there?”   
  
“We've got to see that ship!” Pidge quickly runs off Lance following shortly after   
  
“Hunk, come on!”   
  
“Oh, this is the worst team-building exercise ever.”

 

-

 

Lance doesn't have a lot of regrets, the last time he regretted anything was when he accidentally pulled his sisters hair while playhunting and she almost bit off his finger. But man right now? Kind of regretting leaving his room. ‘ _ No that's a lie, helping save shiro was pretty fun’’.  _ He just didn't expect to see Keith again after he was kicked out, and now here he was standing next to Keith and the others in a cave with Keith's weird scent ‘ _ why don't you smell like food’. _

 

With everyone looking around the cave he discreetly pulls a broken piece of rib from his jacket pocket to his mouth to silently suck the marrow out of. Mostly ignoring the others he pops the rest of the bone into his mouth before reaching out to brush against one of the cave drawings. A cold feeling seems to wrap around him as the drawings all light up one after the other

 

He vaguely hears Keith's “They've never done that before” before the floor opens up underneath them.

 

_ Don't shift, don't shift, oh fu- _

 

“Ow”

 

Looking up everyone else fades into the background as his eyes land on a giant mechanical blue cat. Walking towards it he feels something nudging at the bonds that tie him to his family, the closer he gets the stronger the presence feels. He's barely aware of the vision of Voltron he's so focused on the new cold string wrapping itself around his soul, joining the tangled ball of;  _ protective warmth matriarch Mama, steady ruthless caring Dad, growing changing loving siblings aunts uncles  _ **_the clan_ ** . 

 

_ A child no older than ten summers sits on the porch of a large cottage surrounded by a dozen other cottages. On his right a basket of purple flowers clustered closely together on multiple singular stems sits, carefully picking up one of the stems he weaves it together with the beginning of a flower crown. Working quietly he turns to the woman on his right watching him attentively. _

“ _ Mama why can we feel the bonds but the others can't” _

_ “Because sweetling when we get very hungry it's hard to tell who's food or not, the bonds are to make sure we don't eat our mates, pups or clan” _

_ Finishing the crown he turns fully towards her holding it up a little. With a warm smile of too many sharp teeth she ducks her head to receive the gift. Crown now in place she pulls the child into a warm hug. _

_ “But we'll always be able to feel each other right Mama?” _

_ “That's right, no matter how far you go we'll always be together” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! It's not very long I know and likely needs editing for grammar and spelling in some places. But I hope you like it.


	3. Days end, sleep tight

It kind of felt like he was on autopilot for a bit there, barely processing what was happening around him. Like he had a blanket of ice surrounding his mind the farther away from earth they got, numbing the inevitably painful stretch of his bonds.

 

It's while heading through the wormhole that he truly comes back to himself, stifling a whine at the pulling sensation from inside.

 

-

 

A sour scent invades his nose, _oh gross_  
  
Hunks “So sorry” unsurprisingly doesn't make it better. _This is why I always skipped out on the stomach._  
  
“I’m just surprised it took this long”  
  
“I don't recognize any of these constellations. We must be a long, long way from Earth”

 He could not deal with all these conflicting scents. _Vomit, prey, predator. So close_  
  
“The lion seems to want to go to this planet. I think... I think it's going home. Guys, personal space. Hunk, your breath is killing me.” _get away._  
  
“Um, is it just me or is anyone else having second thoughts about flying through a mysterious wormhole? Why are we listening to a robotic lion anyway?”  
  
“It got us away from that alien warship, didn't it?” _It’s also the only thing keeping me grounded right now._  
  
“I don't know if you noticed, but we're in an alien warship.” _Ugh._  
  
“Oh, are you scared?” _That's right taunt the Weird predator smelling prey_  
  
“With you at the helm? Terrified.” Keith thankfully leans back.  
  
“All right, knock it off. No one's happy to be in this situation, but we're here now. If we want to get through this, we've got to do it together.” Shiro intervenes.  
  
“But seriously, there's a castle up ahead.”  
  
They come upon a beautiful structure, four white cone pillars sticking out from the ground surrounding the main building. A well done bridge connecting the castle to land more readily.

 

-

 

It's later that night after sneaking through the castle and into Blues hanger that Lance has a chance to think.

War. He was apart of a war now. _Stop._ _Breathe in, catalogue the scents around you, Breathe out. Stale air, metal, prey, predator, that gross food goo with it's rubber scent._

 

Okay that wasn't helping, he still couldn't decide what Alteans were to him. _Were they edible? No. Stop. That doesn't matter there are only two left._

He was also still a little freaked out by the Voltron transformation.

He had felt them, so weak and thin but they were there and untied so easily after the fight was over.

 

Temporary bonds. _Focused haunted Shiro with the weakest bond, determined closed off Keith; bond barely stronger than Shiros but more tangled around his soul. Distracted proud Pidge loosely knotted in, Warm anxious Hunk who's bond was the closest to being permanent but still barely the width of a strand of hair._  
He got the sense that the lions were magic and likely making these bonds possible so quickly. Definitely a good thing because eating a fellow Paladin would probably be pretty awkward, but all this strain being put on his soul was exhausting.

 

The only thing keeping him from going feral was the giant metal lion he was hanging out inside of right now. _Like a steel rope locked around him, cold and calm Blue. How had he gone this long without that bond, it felt integral to his very being. He doesn't usually feel bonds so securely unless he's fully shifted._

 

Wrapping his new _space_ blanket around himself more securely he leans against the back of his chair. _Even without the obvious threat against earth that the galra empire poses; his own instincts went haywire upon receiving that transmission earlier today. They were a threat. His Mama always dealt with threats before they got too close to the clan, it's his turn now. The Galra would not have earth._

 

He could feel Blue urging him to sleep, her chilling presence soothing him. Accepting the comfort he curled up on the floor of cockpit. The last thing running through his mind an ominous question

 

_What am I going to eat now?_

  
\---

 

_A lanky preteen follows his family into a natural meadow, the group of eleven stops just after leaving the treeline._

 

_“Are they late?”  His aunt hisses out, her braids move independently in her agitation despite the lack of wind and her own stiff posture. His mother standing at the forefront of the group turns her head without taking her eyes off the otherside of the clearing._

 

_“Calm. They will be here shortly”_

 

_His aunts complaints are stopped short by the sound of a stampede, bursting from the trees a herd of equine centaur enter the field. A large mare leads the group, equine features standing at an intimidating nineteen hands high her humanoid torso only adding to her height. Held tightly in her hands is a length of chain wrapped around the wrists of a very young fully shifted aswang, feet high off the ground the creature lets out a high pitched snarl._

 

_His mother sticks her arm out staying the growing sounds of rage at her back. She stands tall, sunset at her back casting a shadow that doesn't match her form. The shadow stretches across the clearing with hulking strong shoulders and a emancipated stomach, legs far shorter than the torso, long arms with sharp claws. From the head sprouts a massive rack of sharp horns._

 

_Her voice carries across the clearing, strong like thunder._

 

_“You will return my cub”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a bit distracted lately, Your comments gave me some motivation so thanks guys ☺


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